The Encounter
by NephilimEQ
Summary: A little twist on the events in Episode 8. What if Mori actually had an opinion on what Haruhi had done to save those girls? PLEASE READ & REVIEW! My first OHSHC fanfiction. But not my first story ever!
1. Chapter 1

**A.N. - This takes place during Episode #8 - "The Sun and the Sea"…my own little twist on how things could have easily happened to fit my favorite pairing of all time… Mori x Haruhi! Please enjoy!**

* * *

**The Encounter**

* * *

Morinozuka Takashi felt his stomach plummet as he heard the cry from the top of the rock.

He knew that voice…he recognized that cry.

It was Haruhi.

In a blind panic, a feeling that he was not used to, he ran in her direction, determined to be there first, to be the one to save her. He had to get to her, no matter the cost. He had to save her.

He had to save her.

However, he saw Tamaki leap off the rock and dive into the water, and he knew that he would not be the one to save her.

A few moments later the blonde boy walked onto the beach, Haruhi in his arms, and Mori winced.

That was not the way to hold a young woman. You didn't crush her to your body as though she were…a bag of grain. You held her gently against the chest, like he had done once before…and he felt a stab of guilt at not being the one to save her.

He listened silently to the bitter words exchanged between the two of them, but he said nothing.

In his mind, however, he agreed with Haruhi.

She always did what she felt needed to be done. If she hadn't done anything, or wasted time trying to get someone to help, then those boys might have hurt the girls.

But at the same time, he wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms and protect her as best as he could from the dangers of the world around her. She was so giving, and because of that it was easy for people to take advantage of her.

As they walked back to the house, Tamaki not among them, having forged ahead, Mori kept his eyes trained on Haruhi.

Honey-senpai saw this, but said nothing.

Even though Mori looked emotionless, if you paid attention to his body language, he was easy enough to read.

Honey could tell that his friend and guardian wanted nothing more than to find a way to talk to the female host, to find some way to tell her that she was in the right, and _not_ Tamaki.

They reached the house, and Honey quickly came up with a plan. He and Mori walked into the kitchen with the food and began to cook it. No one else among them, besides Haruhi, knew how to cook. All of the others were horribly pampered in their homes, and they didn't know the difference between and spatula and a whisk.

As the inseparable two began to cook, Honey decided to see if he was right.

"Takashi…were you worried for Haruhi?"

"Hn."

Honey decided to try another question. "Do you think Tama-chan was right?" Nothing. He pushed it further. "Well, I did-"

Suddenly, Mori swung around from where he'd been cooking and Honey held back a slight whimper at the look in the taller man's eyes.

"No. He wasn't."

With that, he turned back to cooking and Honey silently smiled at the reaction he'd received from his taciturn friend. Yes, he was right.

With that thought in mind, he quickly came up with the rest of his plan while finishing the cooking with his lifetime friend. They were soon finished with the shellfish and headed out to the dining area, each of them easily balancing the platters on their arms.

As soon as they placed them down on the table, Honey said,

"The crabs are boiled!"

He then turned to his silent friend, but was halted by Kyoya.

"I'm sorry, senpai, that there aren't any maids here now…" Of course he would be.

Honey quickly responded, needing to get the conversation over and done with so he could put his plan into play.

"_We're_ the ones that barged in on your home, Kyo-chan." He then turned to his Takashi and quickly said, "Takashi, go call Haru-chan in."

"Hn," was all he said in response, but Honey could see that he was relieved.

Good, maybe he would finally do something about how he felt towards the girl.

* * *

**Part 1/?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

* * *

Mori walked down the hallway of what he considered to be an overly-extravagant house. He preferred simple lines and colors, and nothing extra. Ostentation such as this was frivolous and wasted money.

He carefully made his way to Haruhi's room and knocked on the door…

…but when he knocked, the door swung open slightly.

He walked in, gave a quick cursory glance around the room, and found Haruhi sitting on the bed on the other side of the room.

"Haruhi."

Her head snapped up at the sound of Mori's voice and she looked at him in surprise. He was about one of the last people that she would have expected to see.

She bit her lip and held in the sound of her being startled by his presence.

It was silent.

Surprisingly enough, Mori was the one to break the silence by walking across the room over to where she sat. He said nothing, and she squirmed slightly under his scrutinizing gaze. Did he think that she was in the wrong, too?

Finally, she could take it no longer.

"Mori-senpai, I did what I had to do, alright? If I hadn't done anything, those girls could have been hurt or worse, and I just-"

She was cut off by two simple words from him.

"I know."

Shocked by his words, she looked up at him, an inquiring look crossing her features…and she was confused by what she saw there. An actual expression on his face. It was one of pain.

Haruhi wondered at this, and was about to ask, but he suddenly dropped to his knee so that he was no longer towering over her and gave her a firm look, while placing a finger against her lips, preventing her from speaking.

He slowly dropped his finger and she stayed silent, but at the same time came to a slow realization.

Mori-senpai had been worried about her.

He didn't have to say a word, she could see it in his eyes and in the tenseness of his body language.

Finally, he spoke.

"Training. Six o' clock."

She understood what he was saying to her. He would train her to defend herself, and it would be after school, every day, at six. And she would be there. She nodded, and was then surprised to see a faint smile at the corner of his lips.

Without thinking about what she was doing, she lifted her hand and gently placed her fingers on the side of his mouth where she'd seen the smile.

He glanced down at her fingers, but said nothing.

They stayed in that position; Mori on his knees, Haruhi sitting on the edge of her bed, her fingers touching his lips.

In a sudden burst of inspiration, she quickly moved forward before she could think about what she as doing and placed a soft kiss where her fingers had been only a second before…and found that she could not pull back.

Their lips rested against one another's for a moment and she then felt Mori very carefully return the kiss; a mere brush of his lips sliding down and barely catching her bottom lip between his own.

He pulled back and stood up, another faint smile in the corner of his mouth, but it quickly faded as he walked over to her door and held it open for her.

"Dinner."

Haruhi nodded and stood up from the bed and walked ahead of him out the door, trying to ignore what had just happened…but she couldn't.

It had felt so right.

* * *

**Part 2/?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

Haruhi wiped her mouth clean with a washcloth, trying to get rid of the awful taste of the bile still in her throat.

Ugh, she _had_ eaten too much…but it had been good.

Suddenly she realized that she had walked in on someone that she didn't know, but then finally recognized as Kyoya.

In a few moments of debate over the cost of flowers and everything that he'd had to do to clean up her mess, she soon found herself in an incredibly compromising position with the shadow king…and though she would never say it, she was scared out of her mind.

She thought he would pull away, and Haruhi then realized what he'd been trying to do and what it had now turned into…and she was suddenly aware of the fact that she had no advantage.

She was simply a girl.

There was a knock on the door, but before either of them could get it, it opened…and there stood Mori.

"Kyoya, I need…"

His voice trailed off as he saw what was in front of him and his eyes darkened.

At that point, Kyoya realized that something very bad was about to happen, but before he could explain, he found himself pinned up against the far window by his throat, slowly running out of oxygen, though he was faintly aware of the fact that his head had hit the glass with enough force as to cause a crack to begin to form in the pane, and he felt a faint trickle of blood sliding down the back of his scalp.

He could see the cold fury in the kendo-master's eyes, and he struggled against his friend's grip, but to avail.

It was like trying to bend iron with your bare hands.

"Mori-senpai…" he managed to gasp out. "…please…let…"

"Stay away from her."

Kyoya nodded, and suddenly found his knees hitting the floor as Mori threw him to the ground like a rag doll. The shadow king gasped for air, and looked towards Haruhi, who was still frozen in terror on the bed.

Mori caught her eye, and then suddenly saw the bruise forming on her right wrist…and bruise in the shape of a hand.

He glared at the man on the floor who was struggling to catch his breath, and for the first time in his life, did something he'd never done before.

He kicked him in the ribs and felt a silent gratification wash over him as he heard several snaps.

With that, he walked over to Haruhi and picked her off the bed, cradling her in one arm against his chest, as he had done so once before. She was silent.

After a moment, she realized that he was taking her down to his and Honey's room. It made sense, and she felt a bit of relief wash through her at the fact that he wouldn't be leaving her side. She honestly didn't know what would have happened if he hadn't arrived when he did.

He walked into his room and placed her on the couch, and then walked through the door to the connecting bathroom.

When he came out, he had some sort of small container in his hand.

He knelt down in front of her.

"Wrist."

She looked down and saw what he meant. Her right wrist was turning into several different shades, and it was obvious that it had been badly bruised.

Haruhi gingerly held out her hand and winced slightly as she bent it. She was surprised to see Mori-senpai wince slightly as well, but she said nothing, and simply watched as he twisted the cap off the small container and then gently put some salve on it.

She felt a faint tingle on her skin, and already the slight pain was dissipating.

But the truth was, she wasn't sure if it was the salve or the fact that Mori was holding her hand so gently between both of his.

They stayed like that for a moment, but then he suddenly stood.

Seconds after he'd stood up, a small, blonde rocket came streaming into the room and attacked his legs. Haruhi watched in amusement as Honey-senpai acted the way he usually did; she needed the feeling of normalcy.

Almost everything else that had been happening that day had felt surreal.

After a moment, the small storm that was Honey-senpai abated, and he then noticed the fact that Haruhi was in the room.

"Haru-chan? What are you doing here?"

He looked at her carefully, and then he saw her wrist and the small container in his cousin's hand. Honey-senpai looked up at his protector and gave him a look.

"What happened to Haru-chan?"

"Kyoya."

At this, Honey-senpai's face turned to a look of confusion…and then to a look of cold realization. Haruhi watched in slight fear as she saw the true seventeen year-old that was a karate and judo master appear from beneath his child-like façade.

Usa-chan was now left on the floor, forgotten, and Honey-senpai's face was clouded over with a dark shadow.

He headed for the door, his stride confident and in no way child-like.

"Mitsukuni."

That was all that Mori said, but it halted Honey in his tracks. He looked back at Mori, and then at Haruhi, and then back at Mori. They shared a look, Mori nodding slightly, and Honey's body relaxed.

"Okay, Takashi. I'll stay."

And with that, it was silently decided. Honey and Mori would keep an eye on her throughout the night, and no one would come near her without their permission.

Haruhi said nothing when Mori swept her up once more and then placed her on the bed where he should have slept. He gave a nod to Honey, and Honey joined her on the covers, Usa-chan between the two of them, and Mori sat in a chair by the door.

She watched all of this is silence, but inwardly smiled.

Everyone else in the group seemed slightly mystified by the way these two interacted, but she understood it perfectly.

It was like she was a part of an elite group, and that within it, she was perfectly safe. With that thought in mind, she drifted to sleep.

* * *

**Part 3/?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

Haruhi bolted up in bed, trying to figure out what had woken her up so abruptly.

A loud clap of thunder shook the room and she suddenly realized that it was a thunderstorm…and she had nowhere to hide. Wait; yes she did.

Quickly, she threw the covers off of her and bolted to the closet across the room, and threw herself inside of it, bringing her knees up to her chest and pressing her hands over her ears. She just had to make it through the storm, and she'd be fine.

Honey woke up at the sound of the thunder as well, and was surprised to see that Haruhi wasn't in the bed.

"Haru-chan? Haru-chan?"

There was no answer, but he saw the door to the closet was partially open, and he quickly figured out what was wrong.

Realizing that she would need someone to comfort her, he quickly walked across the room over to the sleeping figure of Takashi, who was uncomfortably resting in a chair by the door.

Honey gently pushed against his cousin's shoulder, trying to wake him.

"Takashi…Takashi, wake up." No response. He tried again. "Takashi, wake up, something's wrong with Haru-chan…"

At this, the senior bolted from his sleep as though he'd heard a gunshot, and Honey realized that Mori truly _did_ care for Haruhi. More so than he probably realized. Mori looked down at his small cousin, a look of concern across his face.

He was always most expressive when he was either exhausted or had just woken up, so it was no surprise to Honey to see this.

"Haruhi?" he asked, obviously needing clarification.

Honey pointed towards the closet and quickly explained. "The storm. I don't think she likes thunder."

Mori looked in the direction that his older cousin was pointing, and figured out what he was saying. Haruhi was in the closet.

In one fluid motion, he stood from the chair and in three long strides he was across the room and flinging open the doors. Inside, he found the girl huddling in the corner, her arms wrapped around her legs, her whole body shaking.

She didn't notice him, but it didn't matter.

Honey watched as his younger cousin stooped down, and in one sweeping motion, gathered the girl into one of his arms and cradled her to his chest.

At the unexpected feeling, Haruhi yelped, but almost immediately calmed as she realized that it was Mori who had grabbed her so unexpectedly.

Honey watched as Mori walked over to the bed and leaned back against the headboard and held the petite girl in his arms, obviously trying to comfort her in the only way that he could think of…he wrapped his arms around her and brought one of his knees up to cradle her tighter against him.

Honey realized what was going on, and silently slipped out before either of them could object.

They needed this moment.

Mori was vaguely aware of the fact that Honey had left, but was not focused on it.

He was worried about the girl in his arms.

Haruhi was still shaking like a leaf, and he held her just a bit tighter, but not too tight, well aware that he was much larger than her and could injure her if he wasn't careful. He wasn't Kyoya. So long as she was with him, no one else would touch her…and then he felt her start to relax.

Haruhi slowly became aware that she was no longer in the closet and that Mori had her in his arms.

She had been startled when she had felt herself being lifted through the air, but now was well aware that he was trying to comfort her.

Each time the thunder broke overhead and shook the room, she still shook along with it, but her shaking slowly abated as she listened to the steady heartbeat that was firmly pressed against her ear.

Mori was warm…and safe.

She let herself lean into him, relaxing slightly, and let out a small sigh.

Things suddenly weren't so scary anymore. She didn't know why they weren't, but she had the vague idea that Mori-senpai was most likely the reason why.

Her mind drifted to their kiss earlier that evening…

…and she smiled.

Yes.

He was the reason why.

* * *

**Part 4/?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

Honey-senpai woke up on the couch to see Hikaru, Kaoru, and Tamaki standing over him, all of their gazes curious.

Tamaki, though obviously still slightly frightened at the idea of talking to a just woken-up Honey, was the first to speak up.

"Uh, Honey-senpai…why are you on the couch?"

Honey hugged Usa-chan closer to his body and slowly pulled his legs over the side of the couch before he stood up. He rubbed at his eyes for a moment, trying to buy some time, unsure of what he should tell them, because even he didn't know the entire story.

Hikaru and Kaoru seemed to pluck up their courage after seeing their leader take a chance and not get mauled, and asked their question as well.

"Why aren't you with Mori-senpai?" they said in perfect unison, their questioning looks mirror images of each other.

Honey finally answered.

"Haru-chan's scared of thunder. Mori watched her last night. No room on the bed. I slept out here."

"Oh," said the twins in unison, again.

With that, he plodded over to the kitchen and ignored their strange looks as he pulled out a bowl and some cereal. They never made their own meals, and even this type of skill was slightly beyond them…but then Tamaki finally reacted to what the senior boy had told him.

"My daughter slept in the same bed as Morinozuka Takashi?"

Honey grinned to himself, not in the least bit surprised that the prince had latched onto that piece of information. In fact, he'd expected him to.

Hikaru and Kaoru gave their blonde leader identical looks of exasperation as he continued to freak out.

"Tamaki…this is Mori we're talking about," Kaoru started.

"Yeah," said Hikaru. "He'd never do anything to tarnish Haruhi's honor, let alone take any sort of advantage of her."

In unison, they said, "He's Mori."

At this, Tamaki seemed to calm down slightly, and then Kyoya emerged from his room…and they all looked at him in shock. His head was bandaged, and it looked as though a couple of his ribs had been taped.

At first, the twins and Tamaki looked at Honey, knowing that he might do such a thing, but Honey just shook his head.

At the same time, Honey slowly figured out what must have happened.

The only reason why Takashi would ever do such a thing to someone, was if they had tried to take advantage of someone else…like Haru-chan.

Kyoya didn't even look at any of them, and instead walked past them into the dining room, where he sat down at the very end of the table, avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room. Tamaki seemed the most worried, and Honey smiled to himself.

Hikaru and Kaoru sidled up next to Honey and followed him to his seat, placing themselves on either side of him.

Hikaru spoke first.

"Why did Mori hurt Kyoya-senpai? Do you know what happened?"

Honey shook his head, pouring milk over his sugary cereal, his rabbit still held tightly in his grip.

"Did…did he try to do something to Haruhi?" asked Kaoru, and Honey started to shake his head, but then paused.

He looked up at Kaoru and then glanced to his other side, exchanging a look with the other twin as well. His spoon hovered above the cereal, but he paused…and put the spoon to the side, letting out a small sigh.

"I don't know," was all he said.

He then hugged Usa-chan tighter to his chest with his other hand, and glanced down the table towards their shadow king.

"I don't know…"

* * *

**Part 5/?**

**A.N. - Sorry there's not any Mori or Haruhi in this chapter, but I wanted to show how the rest of the Host club would react to this kind of situation as well. Tell me what you think! (and you might get another chapter...) ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

Haruhi slowly woke up, squinting her eyes against the bright sunlight that streamed through the open window.

She was warm, and she snuggled deeper into her pillow…only to discover that it wasn't a pillow.

A steady heartbeat thumped against her ear, and her memory of the night before came flooding back to her...

…Kyoya's grip, Mori attacking, Mori holding her, then sleep, thunder, and then Mori holding her again.

Finally fully aware of the fact that Mori was holding her in his arms, she tried not to make any sudden movement or sound that would tell him that she was awake. Tentatively, she lifted her eyes towards his face, and she smiled at what she saw.

When not being stoic and terse, he seemed…approachable.

In his sleep, his face was relaxed, the corner of his mouth slightly lifted. Haruhi held back the urge to touch his face, and instead settled for staring.

She let her body relax once more, enjoying the moment of peace and quiet with the senior boy.

In the back of her mind, she wondered why Honey-senpai had left the room last night. He could have stayed in the room…he was small enough that he would have been perfectly comfortable in one of the luxurious imported chairs.

But, she guessed it didn't matter at that point.

Suddenly, Mori shifted and she watched, her body tensed in nervous anticipation as his eyes fluttered open and quickly caught hers.

She felt his whole body tense beneath her as he saw her in his arms and then it relaxed almost an instant later.

Haruhi gave him a shy smile.

"Morning," she muttered under her breath, not quite able to look him directly in the eye.

"Hn."

That was the only response she got in return, and bit her lip as she held in a gasp of surprise as he suddenly shifted her in his arms and slid his long legs over the edge of the bed and stood up in one smooth, fluid motion.

He stood there for a long moment…and then gently placed her on her feet.

Haruhi looked up at him, a slightly confused look on her face, and he returned it with a nod from his head.

For some unknown reason, she found herself blushing at the small motion and ducked her head.

She chanced a glance at him as he turned his head and began to walk over to the closet. She wondered what he was thinking. She turned her eyes away and began to walk towards the door, but a firm hand on her shoulder stopped her.

She looked up and saw Mori handing her a shirt. It looked like one of his.

"Here," was all he said, but she gratefully took it, not saying a single word, and headed towards the bathroom.

Just as she was about to close the door to it, she paused…and then turned.

"Thank you."

He said nothing, but just before she closed the door, she swore she could see a faint smile on his lips, and she smiled to herself. She had never been with a member of the host club for so long without saying any words.

But then again, he wasn't like any of the other members of the host club.

Haruhi closed the door behind her and quickly slid off her dress and threw the shirt on instead. It was a plain, black shirt…and it hung down past her knees.

She quirked a small smile to herself at the sight, but just shrugged. At least it was comfortable.

Her thoughts turned back to Mori. He truly was different from all of the other members of the host club. For one thing, he didn't try to push her or prod her in any way; he simply let her be who she was, and noticed all of the small things.

Like the fact that she liked strawberries.

She smiled to herself once more and opened the door to the bedroom, only to find that Mori was gone.

She walked across the room and out into the hall, her stomach growling slightly.

Time for breakfast.

* * *

**Part 6/?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter** **7**

* * *

Honey was surprised when he saw Mori walk into the dining room by himself.

He already had a bowl of cereal in his hand, as well as a couple of pieces of fruit in his other hand. He sat down at the opposite end of the table, not even glancing at Kyoya. However, every person in the room could feel the tension that filled the dining area.

Honey said nothing, but looked down at his cousin, wondering what all had happened that night.

Mori, however, wasn't the least bit forthcoming.

Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru all looked at Mori with an inquiring look. Two of the looks were identical.

Suddenly, a noise over at the entrance to the dining room caught everyone's attention except for Mori's. Honey withheld the grin that wanted to break loose at what he saw. Haru-chan was wearing one of Mori's shirts.

Tamaki was the first to react.

"_What_ are you _wearing?_" he exclaimed, both of his feet leaving the ground, his eyes bugging out.

Hikaru and Kaoru had a slightly different reaction to the sight. "Black doesn't suit you, Haruhi," Hikaru started, and Kaoru finished with, "Yeah…but a green one might work."

They then both cast devious grins in Mori-senpai's direction, nodding towards his shirt, which was just like hers, only green.

Tamaki, however, was less than amused by her appearance, and strode towards her with long and purposeful strides, his eyes darkening as he neared her. At this, Mori's eyes snapped up from where he was eating.

Tamaki reached over to grasp her wrist and didn't notice Haruhi flinching away from his sudden actions.

Mori did.

In one fast motion, he was suddenly between the two of them, one hand on Tamaki's chest, keeping him from touching the female host.

The blonde-haired host looked up at Mori in shock, and then down at the hand that was holding him back from his "daughter."

"Mori-senpai…"

Mori simply looked down at him, his gaze still dark, and Tamaki visibly flinched at the look in the older boy's eyes.

"Don't touch her."

He slowly let up on Tamaki's chest, and the blonde looked over at Haruhi and his eyes widened as he saw the fading bruise on the girl's right wrist. His gaze snapped over to Kyoya, who resolutely avoided eye contact, and he felt his blood run hot as he put two and two together.

Kyoya was lucky that Mori had gotten to him first. If he hadn't, he'd have had to deal with Tamaki.

No one said anything, and for that Haruhi was grateful.

She honestly didn't think that it was a big deal. It felt like everyone was making it into something a lot worse.

Kyoya hadn't meant it. He wouldn't have done anything to her…or at least, she assumed that he wouldn't. It didn't seem to fit his character.

She carefully sat down at the table, Mori following behind her, and took the empty seat next to where Mori's was, and smiled as he slid an orange in her direction. She quickly took it and began to peel it, and cast a small smile in Honey's direction, which he returned.

At least she was comfortable with the two of them…and at the moment, that was enough.

Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged a look with each other, and then both of them shrugged and sat down at the table, grabbing some bananas from the basket in the center.

Tamaki, however, still stood where Mori had stopped him earlier, his gaze still focused on their silent leader.

Kyoya, feeling his friend's gaze on him, suddenly stood and left the room, ignoring the fact that Tamaki's eyes followed him as he walked away.

Honey noticed the prince's lingering look, and he wondered for a moment at his expression. There was anger, yes, but there was also another emotion…one that Honey couldn't quite place. He had a hunch about it, but decided to stay quiet and watch to see if he was right.

He looked over at Haru-chan and smiled at what he saw.

Haruhi glanced up at Mori, a shy look on her face, and Mori returned the look, giving her a slight nod.

A light blush crossed the girl's cheeks, and Honey hid his grin from people that remained at the table.

At least _some_thing good had come of things so far.

* * *

**Part 7/?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

The rest of the breakfast passed by quickly, with Honey keeping up a running monologue amidst the uncomfortable silence.

The twins were the first to leave the table, and then moments after, Tamaki left the room as well, though he had never sat down at the table. The entire time he had continued to stare into the hallway that Kyoya had disappeared into.

When it was just Honey, Mori, and Haruhi, the atmosphere changed drastically, and soon Haruhi was smiling and talking with Honey-senpai about what they would do that day.

Mori said nothing, but Honey knew that he would want to keep Haruhi as close as possible, so he quickly came up with several ideas.

"We could go to town and go to the commoners' outdoor market!"

At this, Haruhi actually seemed interested and her eyes lit up.

"Actually, that's a good idea Honey-senpai…I _do_ need to get a few things," she said thoughtfully, resting a finger on her chin and gazing absentmindedly into space.

_Hmm,_ she thought to herself. _I still need to get dad something, as well as find something to wear that _isn't_ frilly…_ She glanced down at what she wearing and blushed. _Or someone else's._

She made a list in her head and quickly estimated how much it would cost, and if she could afford it, and then mentally shrugged off the price. She didn't know what the prices were around here, so she would get what she could afford.

Haruhi quickly stood up and cast a glance to Mori and Honey, and felt her face warm slightly as she looked at Mori.

"I'll just go change…"

With that, she left the dining room and walked down the hallway to her room.

As she went through her bag, she sighed in frustration. It seemed as though her dad had replaced _everything_ that she'd originally packed…oh well.

She dug around for a bit and found something that wasn't frilly, though still quite feminine, and quickly changed. As she took off Mori's shirt, she smiled as she placed it on the bed next to her bag. It was a nice shirt...

Quickly, before she could think about what she was doing, she shoved the shirt in her bag, under all of her clothes, and pulled on the outfit that she'd found.

Casting one last look towards her bag, she left the room and walked out to join Honey and Mori.

Honey looked at her in surprise when he saw what she was wearing, and Haruhi squirmed underneath her friend's scrutinizing gaze.

"Haru-chan…you look so cute!" Honey-senpai exclaimed after a long moment of silence.

"Hn," said Mori in agreement.

Haruhi looked down at her outfit, wondering what it was about it that was cute. It was a simple short-sleeved, light sage-green dress with a narrow black belt that settled just beneath her practically non-existent bust. It fell to just above her knees, where it flared out slightly.

She looked up at Mori and felt another blush cross her cheeks as she saw the appraisal in his gaze.

For a man of so few words, he spoke volumes with his eyes.

Unexpectedly, for no apparent reason, she remembered their kiss from the evening before, and she dropped her eyes to the floor.

In the back of her mind, she realized something that she hadn't seemed to notice before that particular moment…Mori had returned her kiss. When she had impulsively kissed him, he hadn't pushed her away, nor had he forced himself on her…he had simply gently returned it.

She didn't know why that was such a huge deal, but for some inexplicable reason it was.

Haruhi was suddenly grateful that her eyes were focused on the floor, because she felt her face burn with a heat that told her she was blushing even more furiously than before.

The tension became almost unbearable.

"Let's go!" exclaimed Honey-senpai, fully aware of what was going on between his cousin and his best-friend. He grabbed her left hand and practically dragged her out the door, effectively dissipating the slight tension that had filled the room for a brief moment.

Yes, it was time to go shopping.

* * *

**Part 8/?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

* * *

Honey had a firm grip on Haruhi's hand as they walked through the outdoor market.

Out of all the members of the host club, the two cousins were the easiest to deal with when it came to "commoner's" things.

Tamaki would have simply dragged her to every single stand, badgering her for information and pretending to be impressed with the stupidest of things. The twins would have simply rolled their eyes at the clothes and made their way to the food stands.

Kyoya would have merely tagged along in the background, keeping tabs on all of them, probably making note on how much everyone was spending.

Honey-senpai, however, seemed truly interested in the stands, stopping every so often to look at something and then ask for Haruhi's opinion on it.

She was more than willing, as Honey was honestly curious about those things.

Mori, however, stayed silent in the background, as was his purview.

Every now and again, he'd pause at a stand and look intently at whatever the craft was, be it food or other kind, and Haruhi wasn't the least bit surprised by how courteous he was to the vendors of each of the stands.

It did bother her, however, when she saw some of the younger women giving him flirtatious looks…but they didn't last. As soon as Haruhi approached, they pulled back.

Inwardly, Haruhi was blushing, but she managed to maintain her normal appearance as they wandered among the stands.

Finally, she found the stand that she was looking for.

"Honey-senpai, I need to stop here for a moment, okay?"

Honey nodded, and amused himself by looking at some hand-crafted sweets that were just to the side of the stand. Haruhi carefully looked at the individual packages of noodles, trying to find the right kind for a good stew-pot.

Suddenly, a shadow fell across her and she realized that it was Mori.

Mori reached for one of the packages of noodles and gave it a cursory glance, and then looked down at her.

"What are you making?"

She was surprised to hear so many words from him, but she quickly answered. "Oh, I was thinking of a stew-pot for dad and me, for when I get back home. A treat, you know?"

At this, Mori nodded, and then put the noodles in his hand down, reached for a different bag and then handed it to her.

"Use this."

She looked up at him in surprise, but before she could say anything, Honey spoke up.

"Takashi knows a lot about cooking…he makes the best stew-pot! I love eating Takashi's cooking!" Haruhi's look of surprise continued over to Honey, but he simply responded with, "What? Why do you think I like sweets so much, Haru-chan? Takashi's are the best!"

She looked back to Mori, who said nothing, but a faint pink color tinged his cheeks, and she gave a faint smile, placing the noodles in her shopping bag.

They quickly bought them, and as they left the stand, Honey started talking non-stop about the different dishes that Mori had made for him over the years.

As Honey continued on with his monologue, Haruhi slightly zoned out, catching part of someone else's conversation nearby.

_"…and they're adorable, aren't they?" "Yes, absolutely. Their little boy is so cute, and the way that man looks at his wife is so sweet…they seem a bit young, but who cares?" "I know. Such a sweet looking family…"_

Haruhi glanced around, wondering who they were talking about, and continued to listen.

_"…a blonde-haired angel. And the mother, so pretty." "And the husband is quite attractive, too. Tall, for sure…"_

And then it hit her.

She chanced a look out of the corner of her eye and realized that the two women were looking in her direction. She felt her blood rushing to her face, warmth suffusing her cheeks, and she ducked her head slightly.

Those two women thought that they were a family! And that Honey-senpai was their son…!

She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up to see that Mori was gently getting her attention. He pointed at a stand.

"Clothes?"

She saw that they were selling some simple kimonos, as well as everyday clothes and she smiled. She hadn't even told him, but he knew that she needed them.

Haruhi looked back up at Mori and felt her self-consciousness slip away in his easy and comforting presence.

"Yes…thank you, Mori-senpai!"

"Hn."

She threw him a grin, liking how easily it came when she was around him and Honey, and he gave her a faint smile in return, one very similar to the one that he had given her in her room only the evening before.

They walked towards the vendor, and from behind her she very faintly heard… _"Oh, look at that! Those two are certainly in love, aren't they?" "Yes, they are…"_

The voices faded completely, but Haruhi inwardly smiled.

Yes…maybe they were in love, but never knew it before today.

* * *

**Part 9/?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

* * *

They had finished shopping without any incident…meaning, no one from the Host Club had shown up to interrupt them.

Haruhi was pleased with the several things that she'd bought for herself, and she'd found something for her father as well, which made her happy.

It seemed quiet when they arrived back at the "beach house", as it was called, "mansion" is what she called it in her head.

It didn't take long for the three of them to realize that everyone was in their separate rooms. Well, so much for a bonding vacation…but the truth of it was that Haruhi honestly didn't mind. Between the Host Club and her father, she rarely had time to simply relax.

And now she was getting the chance to relax with friends. Two friends, in fact, that she knew very little about.

"Let's make dinner together!" chirped Honey, and Haruhi smiled and nodded in agreement.

As they walked towards the kitchen to see what was stocked there that they could use, Haruhi shook her head in amusement.

It was incredibly hard to believe that Honey-senpai was two years her senior. The only time when she thought she could actually see the serious side of him, was when he fought. It seemed that that certain discipline brought out the other side of him.

She watched as Mori and Honey looked through a couple of the cupboards, and she soon joined them…and was surprised by what the three of them found: basic ingredients for making a simple, traditional meal of sushi, jasmine rice, and some chicken on the side.

She pulled them out, and the three of them began to cook, each of them working on something separate, but helping each other when they needed to.

It was nice to do, as hardly any words had to be exchanged.

If you had to get by, a touch of a hand on an arm or shoulder was all that was needed, and a nod indicated whether or not something was done. With the three of them, it only took them twenty minutes to have dinner ready.

As they sat down at one end of the ridiculously long table, Haruhi was silently enjoying the atmosphere that the three of them had created.

They ate in comfortable silence, the entire time Haruhi casting glances in Mori's direction.

All too soon, dinner was over.

Again the three of them worked in silent unison to clean the table and put the food away.

Haruhi walked down the hall to put her packages away into her luggage that she'd brought with her, and saw Tamaki standing out in the hallway outside Kyoya's room, three rooms down from hers. The look on his face was serious, something that she was not used to seeing on their comic leader.

"Tamaki-senpai?"

The blonde-haired young man looked up at the sound of his name being called and Haruhi felt a sensation in her chest and it hurt.

The expression in his eyes was one that she'd never seen before.

He looked absolutely torn.

She saw his eyes glance down to her wrist and then look back to Kyoya's door, and he let out a deep sigh.

"He won't let anyone in. The twins tried for a while earlier today, after you three left, but it didn't work. I haven't tried yet, but I'm afraid he'll think the worst of me and assume that I'm against him…" His gaze turned haunted. "…I'm not happy with what he did, but I can't judge him for not knowing how he saw it, but at the same time I'm terrified of what he might say…

…I just want to talk to him."

Haruhi turned her head and then lifted her hand and placed it on the doorknob, but then paused and turned her gaze back to her friend. She carefully observed his body language and suddenly understood what was going on.

She hesitated, and then said, "You never know if you don't try, right senpai?"

Tamaki looked at her in surprise, but his lips soon softened to a faint smile.

"I suppose you're right."

Haruhi returned the smile and then opened the door to her room and watched in approval as Tamaki lifted his hand and gently rapped against the highly polished wood.

Yes…the two of them needed to figure things out for themselves. Even though the circumstances weren't the best, and though it was most likely that accusations and yelling would be thrown about, as well as furniture, they would figure it out.

After closing her door behind her, she slipped out of her dress and found a nightdress with a satin robe that her father had packed for her.

The nightdress was white with faint lace edging on the square neckline, and the robe was a pale shade of champagne.

Oh well…she couldn't fault her dad for taste. She knew that if the twins saw it they would both highly approve of her father's choice…four thumbs of approval, to be exact.

Pulling out a book that her father had managed to miss when re-packing her bag, she lay on the king-size down mattress and began to read. It was a historical-fiction, a new genre that she had recently started exploring and had found that she somewhat enjoyed.

She lay on her stomach, her book in front of her, and she felt herself starting to doze off.

_Well_, she thought to herself. _If I'm _this _tired, I should probably just go to sleep._

With that, she closed the book and slid her body under the lavish high-count, Egyptian cotton sheets and let herself drift. She had managed to fall into a light sleep, one where she was barely aware of the fact that she was aware of anything…

…but then she heard faint lilting notes coming from somewhere in the mansion.

_Who could that be? Tamaki is in Kyoya's room and this is coming from the other side of the house…_

She sat up in bed and slid her feet over the side and picked up the robe from the floor from where she had let it fall and slid it over her thin nightgown.

Carefully, trying not to make a sound, she slipped through her door and walked down the hall, trying to remember where she had seen the piano…wait a second. Had she even seen a piano since entering the house?

Haruhi began to wander, but then saw Honey sitting just outside of a partially cracked door, a small smile was on his face and his eyes rested on Usa-chan in his lap.

"Honey-senpai?" she whispered, unsure of what was going on.

His eyes snapped up and he brought a finger to his lips.

"Shhh, Haru-chan! Don't let him know that we're here!"

She gave him a look of confusion, her brow furrowed, but then joined him on the floor next to the door where he sat cross-legged, and pulled her legs under her as she tightened the silky robe around her middle.

"Don't let _who_ know?"

Honey-senpai gave her a grin and pointed to where the door was partially open.

Haruhi inched towards the opening as quietly as possible and strained to see who was sitting at the piano in the room, the absence of any light making next to impossible to tell.

But then there was slight movement as the pianist swayed and pale moonlight, which streamed through an unseen window, splashed across broad shoulders and dark hair…

…it was Mori.

* * *

**Part 10/?**


	11. Chapter 11

**A.N. - You can listen to the first two songs on YouTube...for the Pirates of the Caribbean song, look up Jarrod Radnich's version! The last song he plays is called "Solitude" by Ryuichi Sakamoto. Start the song on the line "Then, with such a quietness that you had to strain to hear it, he began to play once more."**

**Chapter 11**

* * *

Haruhi could hardly believe her eyes…or her ears.

She knew that Tamaki could play, but Mori? She had no idea that he could play piano like this.

The piece that she had first heard him play was winding down, so she looked towards Honey-senpai, the question in her eyes, and he replied with, "Ryiuchi Sakamoto, The Sheltering Sky."

Haruhi nodded and looked back towards the tall young man in the other room and watched in fascination as his fingers began to fly over the keys at the next piece that he was playing. She vaguely recognized it as being something from a movie, but couldn't place it.

She could only just see his hands, but the sound he created was mind boggling, as well as the speed at which he was playing.

This piece was bold, vibrant, and evoked images of a ship on the waves.

And then she remembered. The theme music to _Pirates of the Caribbean. _She'd watched the movie with her dad a little over a month ago.

Looking through the partially open door, she strained her eyes once more and stared in awe as his hands moved with precision and grace, cutting through the notes with deft strokes and precision timing…it took her breath away.

His left hand jumped down over the black and white keys and then transitioned into a softer tone for a brief moment before taking on a darker tone.

He continued to play, and she continued to watch, unaware of the grin that was trained in her direction by Honey.

Haruhi could not pull her eyes away, so fascinated was she by what she was seeing.

At least a full minute passed, and then the piece was over.

Mori paused, his fingers hovering above the glossed moonlit keys, his shoulders loose of the tension that Haruhi was used to seeing. It was obvious that the piano was an outlet for him, but in the back of her mind she wondered when he had learned to play so beautifully.

The pause lasted for over five minutes, during which she and Honey remained silent.

Then, with such a quietness that you had to strain to hear it, he began to play once more.

Single, simple notes, but they slid into one another like the tides of the sea: effortlessly, softly, almost unnoticeable when they changed keys.

Haruhi found herself standing, her hand pressed to the door, slowly pushing it open further, needing to see him more clearly.

Honey slowly stood as well and tugged at Haruhi's arm pulling her back down to his level. "Takashi only plays when he thinks he's alone, Haru-chan. Don't go in. Please…" The pleading in Honey's tone was odd, so she asked,

"Why not, senpai?"

Honey paused, but then explained in a hushed whisper.

"One time, I walked in when he was playing and when he saw me, he…" He paused again, biting his lip and squeezing Usa-chan, his jaw quivering. "…He yelled at me."

Haruhi's eyes widened in shock. Mori had yelled at Honey-senpai? But he had never raised his voice in anger…actually, he never raised his voice.

"He yelled at you?"

Honey nodded, a single tear escaping. "That was the only time he ever yelled at me…and so if I hear him playing, I never let him know I'm listening. Don't go in there!"

At first, Haruhi completely agreed with what he'd asked her to do, but as she continued to listen to the music, she felt her heart break slightly. The tone was so different from the other two songs that he'd played…it was sad. Alone.

Finally, listening to what her gut was telling her, she stepped towards the door once more, her mind set.

Honey stayed back, his eyes wide with fear.

Carefully, she pushed the door the rest of the way open, her hand near the hinges to keep it silent.

He didn't turn around.

She took one step. Another. A third step.

Already, she was almost halfway to him, and she felt her throat tighten, her heart expand. Her hands tingled and her head felt strangely light as she stepped forward the last few steps, her left hand hesitatingly outstretched towards his shoulder.

She was frozen.

Haruhi hovered behind him, her hand inches away from touching his shoulder, her resolve weakening by the second.

Her eyes were caught by his hands as they moved over the ivory keys and she felt her resolve harden once more as she remembered why she'd stepped into the room.

Slowly, and ever so carefully, she let her hand drop…

…and let out a soft sigh as she felt his warm shoulder beneath her fingers, his body heat radiating through the thin white dress shirt, and silently confused by the fact that he had not reacted in any way to the touch.

Instead, he continued to play and she felt the muscles in his shoulder shift as his fingers practically floated over the keys, like water over stone.

She let out a soft sigh, the sound fading into the air like a forgotten note.

Mori continued to play and she marveled at his absolute control over his hands and the notes. The same way that he did everything.

Even his kiss had been controlled, but effortless, much like the way he played.

At that thought she shivered, and almost pulled her hand from his shoulder, but withheld the impulse to do so. She had made it this far, she could make it the rest of the way. She could do it. She had to do it. She needed to.

She wanted to.

Haruhi did not know how many minutes passed by, but it felt as though she was frozen in time with him, an endless moment.

And she didn't want it to end.

She was faintly aware of the notes slowly extending, shifting into a softer key, winding down…

…and then it was over.

His hands dropped from the piano, and they remained in that position for several long moments. Her eyes had left the piano and now stared into the empty space of the dark room. And then she felt something soft on her hand and she looked down.

His fingers were over hers.

She saw movement and realized that he had turned his head…but she could not bring herself to look up. Her courage failed her in that moment.

But then…

"Haruhi."

Her eyes came up at his voice and their eyes caught each other.

She started to speak his name, but he gently lifted his hand from hers and pressed his finger against her lips, barely touching them.

And as she looked at him, she understood. He was right, just like he had been just the day before. No words needed to be spoken; nothing more needed to be said. They held each other's eyes, frozen in the moment.

And then, it happened.

His hand slowly moved from her lips to her jawline and slid behind her head, gently tilting her head down to his…

* * *

**Part 11/?**


	12. Chapter 12

**A.N. - Please don't hate me! But I had to do a cutaway here to explain what's going on around the house and how people are reacting to everything that's going during the trip. It's very important to the plotline, and I listen to what the characters are telling me to do, not the other way around, so blame them! That said, enjoy the story!**

**Chapter 12**

* * *

Tamaki was surprised when the door opened.

Kyoya avoided his gaze, retreating into his dark room behind him.

"What do you want, Tamaki?"

Tamaki flinched slightly at the severity of his friend's tone, but he soldiered on forward, as he always did, and boldly stepped into the shadow king's room, closing the door behind him. The darkness of the room felt like a physical presence, but he brushed it off.

"Kyoya-senpai…what happened?" The silent leader said nothing, so he pressed forward. "What happened with you and Haruhi?"

At this question, his eyes snapped up to meet Tamaki's, and the blonde was surprised by the emotion that he could see in them, as they were unguarded by his glasses.

The moment held…and then was broken.

"It was a misunderstanding."

That was all he said.

Tamaki gave him a truly concerned look, tilting his head slightly as he tried to ascertain why his usually in control friend was reacting in such a way to such a simple question. He then stepped forward once more, trying to gain understanding.

"Did it have to do with me?"

At this, Kyoya's eyes snapped back up to his, shock written across his features. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but no words came.

However, the look in his eyes spoke volumes to Tamaki.

Yes, it did have to do with him.

Quickly, he mentally took in all of the information that he had managed to ascertain and tried to deduce what might have happened between the female host club member and their dark-haired leader, and then something clicked.

His gaze softened slightly as he said, "I see. It was a lesson…"

Kyoya looked shocked at what Tamaki had just spoken, and, finally, he spoke.

"Yes…it was a lesson." He paused, gathering his thoughts for a moment, and then continued. "Haruhi had put herself in a position that she shouldn't have been in. She has no thought or regard for the fact that she's a girl. It was a lesson that needed to be learned…"

Tamaki nodded.

"So you showed her how vulnerable she was…" Kyoya nodded. "…and then Mori walked in."

Kyoya nodded again.

"Yes."

A faint smile crossed Tamaki's lips, and now without any fear he walked the last few feet to the bed, where Kyoya sat, and sat down on the bed next to him.

"Have you told Mori-senpai?"

At this, a short bark of laughter broke through the young man's lips at his friend's comment. Kyoya lifted his eyes to his friend and gave him a look.

"In case you hadn't noticed, Suoh, Mori-senpai is not talking to me…"

Tamaki shrugged his shoulders in indifference. "So what? That doesn't mean that _you_ can't talk to _him_…"

Kyoya's eyes turned once more to his friend, a faint smirk lurking at the corner of his lips at hearing these words. It was typical Tamaki style, and it reminded him of how the two of them had become friends in the first place.

"You're right."

However, he said nothing more, and for several long minutes they simply sat there on the bed, saying nothing.

It was strange, but Kyoya found himself having to hold back an impulse to reach for Tamaki's hand, which lay only a few scant inches from his own on the covers.

Neither knew how much time had passed, but, finally, the shadow king came to a decision.

Quickly, before he could change his mind, he stood, grabbed his glasses, and walked to the door of his room, opening it with a deft turn of his wrist, but hesitating a moment before leaving, casting his eyes back to Tamaki who still sat on his bed.

"Thank you…"

And with those parting words, he closed the door behind him, knowing that the blonde prince would be there when he returned.

For some odd reason, the thought was comforting.

In bold strides, he walked down the corridor, heading towards Mori's room, determined to tell him what had happened between he and Haruhi. He lifted his hand to knock on the door…but then heard the faint notes of the piano being played.

He followed them down to an old music room that hadn't been used since his family had bought the house.

Unaware of Honey standing in the shadows, he approached the door, prepared to walk through and see who was playing at this late hour.

But he stopped at the sight before him.

There was Mori, sitting regally at the piano, as though it were the most natural thing in the world for him to do so, and there was Haruhi…her hand lay on Mori's shoulder, and Mori's fingers were over hers. Kyoya then saw Haruhi about to speak, but Mori's fingers on her lips stopped her.

"Haruhi," was all he said, but there seemed to be some sort of deeper meaning in the way he said it.

The dark-haired leader watched in strange fascination as Mori's hand moved from her mouth, his fingers sliding into the young girl's hair.

And then, Kyoya was shocked to see, they _both_ leaned in to the other and they kissed.

His breath stopped in his throat as he watched Haruhi's own hands slide to Mori's shoulders and then slide up his neck to caress his face as the two of them kissed.

For some strange reason, unknown to Kyoya, he felt his heart skip a beat at this sight and something inside of him broke free…like something had been holding him back, tying him to the ground. And he thought of Tamaki still waiting for him in his room…

…and he smiled.

He watched the two of them kiss a moment longer, and then he left and walked back down the hall, the smile still on his face.

He was unaware of the pair of eyes that watched him from the shadows, following him as he walked away.

As soon as he was back at his room, he swung open the door and was pleased to see Tamaki still there.

The blonde prince, however, was no longer sitting on the bed, but was sprawled across it, lying on his back, his eyes closed. However, he wasn't asleep, as a faint smirk crossed the corner of his mouth as he heard Kyoya close the door behind him.

"So, Kyoya…how'd it go?"

Kyoya said nothing, and instead strode forward, listening to the urge that called to him, and slowly kneeled on the bed, leaning over and placing a hand to either side of the young man on the covers.

He leaned over him, staying silent, letting his eyes brush over the prone form of his friend, his eyes finally lingering on his friend's face, whose eyes were still closed.

Kyoya slowly brought his face down to his Tamaki's.

"Tamaki…" he breathed, and the young man's eyes bolted open, a small gasp of surprise forming on his face as he saw how close Kyoya was, but then Kyoya closed the distance between them, their lips brushing against each other.

The dark haired king pulled back slightly and shivered as Tamaki whispered his name.

"Kyoya…"

They leaned in once more and kissed again, relishing the feel of the other and the freedom of what they were doing.

Kyoya had one last thought as he lost himself to his friend.

_If Mori can take a chance, then so can I…_

* * *

**Part 12/?**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

* * *

_His hand slowly moved from her lips to her jawline and slid behind her head, gently tilting her head down to his…_

* * *

Haruhi felt something in her chest start to burn the instant Mori's lips touched hers. This kiss was quite different than the one that they'd previously shared.

Their first kiss had almost been an accident; unintentional. Unsure.

_This_ kiss was deliberate. It was intentional. It was sure.

It was…perfect.

A warm sliding sensation ran through her as they sunk into the kiss, and it was as though she had just taken a long sip of her favorite tasting tea on a cold evening, and she could feel the hot liquid and taste the warm, sweet taste as it went down her throat.

Nothing was sweeter than this moment.

Than this kiss.

Without thinking, she moved her hands to his shoulders and slowly slid them up his neck until his face was cradled between her hands.

She had never felt very feminine, even when she wore the frilly dresses and clothes her father made her wear, but at this particular moment, she truly felt like a woman.

His hands were holding her head to his, pressing her lips to his, and it seemed to her that he was holding her not as if she were glass and might break at any moment, but he wasn't clinging to her desperately, either…it was the perfect in between.

He held her in such a way that she knew that she was cherished.

Cared for.

Loved.

His lips gently moved against hers, so she angled her head slightly to the right, and, suddenly, she felt his breath on her lips and he gently caressed her bottom lip with both of his.

Her mouth fell open in response to the subtle message he sent her, and suddenly she felt a spark ignite as he gently tugged on her lower lip with his teeth. The spark shot down her spine and settled between her legs, something that she had never expected to happen.

Mori was safe, he was gentle, he was kind…but he was also a man.

And she knew, from seeing him fight, that he was fiercely protective, and with that fierce protectiveness came passion.

She knew this, but found herself completely unafraid. Unlike when Kyoya had been trying to show her that being a girl was a weakness, Mori seemed to be silently telling her that she was a woman…and that it was a strength.

It was a heady feeling, knowing that she could be the one to make him lose some of his infamous control. That she could bring out that side of him.

After a few long moments, he slowly pulled away, her hands sliding back down to his neck, their foreheads resting against each other.

Mori's hands slid down from where they'd held her head and now lightly covered her fingers.

He then slowly pulled her hands from his neck and gently lifted them and placed a soft kiss, almost mere breath, across the back of both of her hands.

They slowly pulled apart, and Haruhi found herself staring at him, both of them seemingly captured in the moment, neither of them willing to speak for fear of breaking the moment, the beautiful silence that lingered in the air between them. And, for a brief moment, she found herself wishing that they could stay in that moment forever.

Still holding her hands in both of his, he stood from the piano bench and led the two of them over to the small couch near the window.

He laid his long limbs down on the cushions, still holding her hands, and then gave her a questioning look with his eyes.

Haruhi was surprised by the look in his eyes.

It was completely open.

Unassuming. Hesitant. Vulnerable.

She gave him a soft smile and lay down next to him on the couch, letting him wrap his arms around her much smaller frame. He was so much taller than her…but she felt completely safe; as though his love had physical form in the way that he held her.

She rested her head on his chest and heard him let out a sigh. She knew the feeling.

It was like coming home after being gone for a very long time.

The sound his heartbeat beneath her ear was wonderfully reassuring and she made a silent promise to herself to make sure that his heart kept on beating for a very long time. For as long as she could possibly could.

She stared for a moment at the moonlight washing across their bodies, and then she let her eyes drift close, enjoying the feeling of being in his arms.

Not a single word had been spoken since the kiss…but they both knew that nothing needed to be said. They had already said everything that needed to be said. They had said it with their eyes, with their lips, and with their hands.

Nothing else needed to be said.

At one last thought, Haruhi drifted into sleep in Mori's arms, a soft smile crossing her lips…

_I'm finally home…_

* * *

**Part 13/?**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

* * *

Kaoru rolled over in his sleep, pulling some of the covers with him, causing Hikaru to wake up. The twin stared up at the ceiling for a moment, and then looked over at the clock. It was six in the morning…but he was wide awake and he knew he wasn't going to fall back asleep.

Letting out a deep sigh, he threw his legs over the side of the bed and snatched his silk robe from the back of the door before walking into the hallway.

He slid the blood-red silk over his shoulders and then wandered down towards the other side of the house, where the atrium and old music room was, thinking he might go to the atrium to see the birds.

Suddenly, Hikaru saw Honey in the hallway, fast asleep, his arms wrapped around Usa-chan, just outside the music room door.

He smiled at the sight and walked over and gently picked the older boy up as if he really were a child. He started to turn to take the blonde senior back to his own room that he shared with his cousin, but then saw the door to the music room was partially open.

Curious, he poked his head into the room…

…and his jaw practically dislocated itself from his face at the sight in front of him.

There was Haruhi wrapped up in the arms of their other senior host; Morinozuka Takashi. Both of them were fast asleep.

He quickly retreated, not wanting to wake them, and tried to wrap his mind around what he had just seen.

And then he smiled.

As he walked down the hallway to Honey and Mori's room, he came to a very simple conclusion. It made perfect sense. They simply worked. Even though in the back of his mind he was slightly upset, he could completely understand why the two of them were together.

He used one hand to open the door to the room and then gently placed Honey on the bed.

Hikaru stared at the older boy for a moment, and then smiled to himself.

Knowing the young man, Hikaru had a sneaking suspicion that Honey had had something to do with it. The martial arts master was very devious when he needed to be.

He slipped through the doorway, silently closing the door behind him. Hikaru then noticed his stomach was growling, so he headed down the hallway to see if Kyoya was awake. He didn't know where they kept the food, and it _was_ Kyoya's home, after all.

He stopped in front of the bedroom door and lightly rapped the knuckles of his right hand against the imported wood.

"Kyoya-senpai?"

There was no answer.

Though somewhat hesitant, he carefully put his hand on the doorknob, even though he was quite certain that the room was locked.

But to his surprise, the handle gave under his touch and the door easily slid open. Curious as to why the door was unlocked, and also wondering why Kyoya hadn't answered, he poked his head around the edge of the now partially open door…

…and felt his jaw attempt to dislocate once more as he stared at yet another unexpected sight.

The host's club own golden prince was wrapped up in the arms of their very own shadow king. Tamaki was sprawled across his chest and Kyoya's arms were wrapped around the prince's shoulders.

Smiling, Hikaru carefully closed the door and wandered down to the kitchen.

As he scoured through the pantry, he felt a pair of arms slide around his waist and he smiled as a soft kiss was placed on his head.

"Morning, Kaoru," he said softly, and then turned to place his own kiss on his twin's forehead. It was gladly received, and the two of them took a moment to simply enjoy the other's company, and then Kaoru spoke up, breaking the silence.

"Why are you up so early?"

Hikaru smiled. "Because you stole the covers from me, dear brother…why else?"

At that, Kaoru gave him a sheepish grin and ran a hand through his sleep-mussed hair. He rubbed his eyes and then stretched his arms to the side.

"Sorry, Hikaru…you know I get cold easily."

His twin simply shrugged and let it slide. He honestly didn't mind; he just liked to see his brother this way. "It's not a big deal, Kaoru," he said as he pulled down a box of chocolate flavored biscuits that he'd finally found.

He took out a few and then handed the box to Kaoru, a devious smile coming to his lips.

"But you know what _is_ a big deal, little brother?"

Kaoru shook his head, popping a biscuit into his mouth, and Hikaru's grin stretched even further.

Feeling mischievous, he motioned for his twin to follow him, and he led him to both scenes, enjoying watching the reaction on his twin's face, knowing that he'd had the same look on his face only a few minutes before.

They went back, skipping the kitchen, and went into the dining room, settling themselves at one end of the table.

They ate the chocolate treats in silence for a few minutes…until Kaoru finally said,

"Well…I guess that's that, isn't it?"

Hikaru shrugged. "I don't know. I honestly do not know…" And then he heard a door opening down the hall. "…but I think we're about to find out…"

* * *

**Part 14/?**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

* * *

Tamaki slowly woke up, dimly aware of the fact that he was not in his own room. The bed wasn't as soft as he remembered and the room was slightly cooler than he would have preferred it. He attempted to snuggle deeper into his pillow, trying to find some warmth, only to realize that what he was resting against was most certainly _not_ a pillow.

He felt warm flesh against his own, and a languorous smile stretched across the golden prince's lips.

Oh, yes…_now_ he remembered.

He continued to grin, unable to wipe the smile from his face. He was now fully aware of the fact that he was most definitely in the same bed with their host's club very own shadow king, Kyoya.

Realizing where he was, he reminisced on what had brought him there. The two of them had stayed up late into the night; exchanging kisses and soft conversation long after the moon had risen and had begun to make its trek across the night sky, and then had fallen asleep in each other's arms, exhausted.

He knew that it should feel more strange, but the truth of it was that it felt like that most natural thing in the world.

As though it had been meant to happen.

With that idea lodged in his mind, he absently ran his fingers across the young man's side, his eyes catching on the bruises left by their senior host, Morinozuka Takashi.

That was the one thing that hadn't come up in their nighttime conversation. Yes, there had been the brief, almost-discussion when Tamaki had first entered the room, but other than that, nothing had been said about it.

At that thought, his hand stilled against his lover's skin, and he began to wonder…did anything really _need_ to be said?

Tamaki wasn't an idiot; he knew what had happened between the two of them, and even though he didn't fully agree with the actions of either host, he could still see and understand both sides of it.

Ah, the curse of being empathetic.

He understood things too much…and yet, at the same time, not enough.

Brushing his maudlin thoughts to the side, he instead focused his energies on thinking up a creative way to rouse Kyoya so that he woke up in a _very_ good mood.

However, before he could even begin his devious planning, he felt a hand gently rubbing his shoulder, and he quickly became aware of the fact that Kyoya was already awake…and smiling?

In absolute disbelief, Tamaki stared at his bed companion, who now had a faint smile on his lips, his eyes barely open.

"Good morning, Tamaki," he drawled, knowing full well that he had his undivided attention. "Sleep well?"

Deciding to simply go with it, the blonde host flashed Kyoya a bright smile.

"The best in a long time," he said, sincerity lacing his tone, his voice soft.

They fell silent for several long seconds, enjoying the feel of each other; Kyoya's hand continued to make small circles on Tamaki's shoulder, and Tamaki reciprocated by placing his own right hand on the shadow king's chest, tracing irregular patterns across the smooth expanse of skin, marveling at their situation.

Several times, however, the thought of saying something entered into both of their minds…but they remained silent.

Finally, after several long minutes, Kyoya was the one to unexpectedly break the silence.

"I saw something interesting last night, Tamaki…" He paused for dramatic effect, and then continued. "…Involving Mori-senpai and a certain female host."

He waited expectantly for a burst of anger, most likely to be accompanied with exclamations of "Daddy says no!" or something of the sort…but there was nothing. He looked down at the blonde head resting on his chest and watched in amazement as a faint smile crossed Tamaki's mouth.

"Good for them," was all he said, but at hearing it Kyoya felt a surge of affection for the young man.

It was amazing how he could hold grudges over the smallest things for indecently long amounts of time, but could also let some of the biggest things go so easily.

He supposed that it had something to do with the fact that Tamaki was finally happy, so it became easier to let others be happy as well.

Kyoya was pleased to see this; it was nice to see his friend turning into a _more_ mature adult. He still wasn't entirely there, yet, but he was certainly improving.

The two of them continued to lie there, enjoying the peace and quiet of the room…the only sound lingering was the sound of their soft breathing and the slight hum of the air flowing through the room from the fan above them.

However, both of their stomachs suddenly rumbled in unison and the serene mood was broken.

Tamaki chuckled, and then looked up at the man he would soon call his lover.

"So…care for some breakfast?"

Kyoya gave him a faint smile and then it stretched into a full-fledged grin.

"Only if you bring it to me."

"Deal."

With that, Tamaki reluctantly pulled himself from the young host's body and walked to the door, grabbing Kyoya's gray silk robe from the back of it, sliding it over his shoulders.

He walked into the hallway and headed for the dining room. His stomach grumbled once more and he smiled to himself.

Yes…breakfast in bed for two sounded like a great way to start the day.

* * *

**Part 15/?**

**A.N. - This chapter is focused on Kyoya and Tamaki because I felt that we needed to see Tamaki letting go of his miscontstrued feelings towards Haruhi, and not just have it happen all magically. Poof! He doesn't care anymore! That wasn't how I wanted it to look, so please enjoy it! The next chapter, I SWEAR, is focused on our favorite couple once more. Love you!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

* * *

Mori was the first to awake and he shifted slightly, trying to move his eyes out of the sun's rays that filtered through the glass window that was just above where he lay.

He started to stretch, and quickly became aware of the fact that a warm body was lying next to him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling…and then slowly let it out. He knew that soft scent…

It was Haruhi.

He opened his eyes and looked down at the petite brunette who was lying in his arms.

The memory of the night before came back to him and a soft smile stole across his lips as he remembered what had happened.

He gently wrapped the arm that was still lying beneath her, his right one, more tightly around her waist, still not quite believing that it was all real, that it had all happened. It was not a dream, she was really in his arms and they really _had_ kissed.

She was in his arms…in _his_ arms.

It was a wonderful feeling to be in love and to know that the person you were in love with loved you back.

He stared at her, watching her sleep. Her eyelashes fluttered against the soft curve of her cheek and couldn't help but run a finger along it.

"Haruhi…" he whispered, loving the feel of her name rolling off his tongue.

She shifted in her sleep once more, and he adjusted his body so that he was more comfortably placed behind her, cradling her with his body. He didn't _want_ her to wake up, afraid that the instant she did, the moment would be gone. Lost.

But at the same time, he _needed_ her to wake up, to tell him with her eyes, the way that she had last night, how she felt towards him.

He needed to see that look again.

Feeling brave, he repeated her name, louder this time.

"Haruhi…"

She stirred again, and he watched in apprehension as her hands came up to her eyes and slowly rubbed them, her mouth opening into the most adorable of yawns.

"M-Mori-senpai…? What are you doing in my…?" Her voice trailed off as she realized that, no, she was not in her room; that she was, in fact, on the couch in the music room. Her eyes met Mori's and he watched in amusement as she blushed.

They lay there for along moment, and Mori watched as she absently played with a string along the waist of her nightgown, her eyes not meeting his.

After a few moments of silence, he reached out his hand and, with a finger under her chin, gently tilted her face back up to his.

"Haruhi."

At that, a soft, but radiant smile crossed her lips. "Takashi," she said, not worried in the least about taking liberties with his name, knowing that she would be allowed to after what had happened between the two of them.

His faint smile stretched into the first real smile that she'd ever seen on him.

Slowly, giving her time to say no, he leaned his face closer towards hers, but he needn't have worried. Reaching up, she met him halfway, and let out a soft sigh as their lips met.

They merely let their lips brush against each other, gently feeling each other out, enjoying the closeness.

As they kissed for their fourth time, she inwardly smiled.

_This_ was what had been missing from her life. There was a sort of calm serenity in Mori that called out to her and seemed to balance her somewhat fiery nature. All she'd ever wanted was someone who could accept her, but also to balance her. That was why she'd never been able to see herself with anyone else in the group. None of them either truly accepted or balanced her.

She heard herself let out a soft whimper as he pulled back slightly and then leaned in and started to steal small kisses, as though he were taking sips from her lips.

Her right hand came up and gripped his shoulder, trying to tell him to stop teasing, and he immediately responded with a deep and searching kiss.

At the feel of his tongue slipping between her lips, she felt the same sliding sensation run through her that she'd felt the night before.

She would never be able to get enough of this. She could feel him still holding back, however, from the tension that was straining underneath where her hand had slid to the back of his shoulder. Every muscle was tensed and strained underneath her fingers. She wanted him to let go, but she didn't know what to do.

And then she had an idea…

She very carefully pulled her hand back around and then slid it down to his wrist, slowly guiding his hand up her torso, but in a sudden movement, the hand that she'd been guiding was suddenly grasping her own wrist in one lightning-fast movement. Though he held it firmly, his touch was light. Mori then slowly pulled back from the kiss, resting his forehead against hers, his breath labored.

"No, Haruhi…not yet," he murmured in his low monotone, and she slowly understood what he meant.

He wanted to take things slow.

She looked up into his eyes and gave him an apologetic smile.

"Sorry…"

He just returned the look with a faint smile of his own, and slowly sat up, bringing her with him, so that she was now sitting in his lap.

They sat there for several long minutes, both of them simply drinking in the moment and the feelings that came with it. It was a wonderful feeling and neither of them wanted to say a word, for fear of ruining it. She was curled into his chest, and he was holding her with one arm, as he always did with her.

She looked to the piano in the middle of the room and smiled.

She would now forever associate that piano with him. And their second kiss.

Her lips still tingled slightly from their last kiss, and she lightly brushed her fingers across her mouth, not quite believing that it was all happening.

A few days ago, Mori had simply been one of the Hosts, someone she didn't even know well enough to call a friend.

And now…well, now he was Takashi. Her best friend, her protector, her…boyfriend? No, that word was too juvenile for what they had. They might both still be in high school, but both of them were very mature for their age. What they had was…something different.

Haruhi let out a deep sigh and snuggled deeper into his arms.

Mori let out his own sigh as he felt her burrow closer to him and he relished the feel of her closeness.

His eyes briefly closed, and he took the time to take another deep breath, enjoying the way she smelled. Fresh air, linen, and…was that strawberry?

He inwardly smiled as he smelled the strawberry. Apparently she really _did_ love strawberries.

The minutes stretched long and silent, but neither of them made any move to leave the other or to break the silence that so comfortably filled the room. For right now, they were in their own private world that ended at the music room's doors.

They could both hear the faint shuffle of movement outside, letting them know that someone was up and then the light smell of citrus reached them.

At that, both of their stomach's grumbled and Haruhi let out a small giggle.

"Guess it _is_ time for breakfast, huh?" she said, looking up at the man that she now called Takashi, and he returned the smile.

"Hn."

With that said, he slowly stood up and placed Haruhi on her feet. Before he could even react, her hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, and then slid down so that her fingers intertwined with his.

He gave her a look, and she responded with,

"I _want_ them to know, Takashi…"

He smiled.

"Hn," was all he said, but she heard and understood the meaning behind it.

And with that, they walked out of the music room, hands clasped together, bracing themselves for the Host Club's reception.

* * *

**Part 16/?**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter** **17**

* * *

Hikaru and Kaoru were surprised to see Tamaki enter the dining room…with a _smile_ on his face?

The twins looked at each other, one of them very confused to see their golden prince so very happy when only the other night he had been severely depressed, the other one less surprised.

They looked back towards the host and watched, with faint grins on their faces, as he grabbed a whole decanter of juice from the fridge and snagged a few cold croissants, a small bowl of fruit, two bananas, and then placed everything onto a tray and whistled as he headed back down the hallway. One of them curious, the other one wanting to see his brother's reaction, the twins quickly stood and looked around the corner…and grinned again when they saw him disappear into Kyoya's bedroom.

They sat back down, Kaoru's smile slightly wider than Hikaru's.

He had noticed some tension between the two for a while, but it had taken him a long time to figure out that is was sexual in nature.

He doubted that Hikaru had noticed. He wasn't the type of person to really understand those types of things.

Hell, it had taken him a long time to even fully understand how he felt towards Haruhi, and even now he still wouldn't admit it out loud.

Kaoru felt a sort of peace come over him as he slowly realized what had happened over a single night. Haruhi and Mori had found each other, as well as Kyoya and Tamaki. Who knew that a little trip to the beach could change things so drastically?

Another smile quickly crossed his lips and then disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

Hikaru, distracted by the orange in his hand, glanced over at his twin, curious about the smile that had appeared on his lips.

He was happy for Kyoya and Tamaki, even though he was still confused by it. He'd always thought that Kyoya was annoyed by Tamaki…so why were they together?

But in the back of his mind, his thoughts still focused on Haruhi and the fact that she was now with Mori. He had been happy for her earlier, yes, that much was true…but his inner thoughts betrayed his true feelings. Why Mori? What did the senior boy have that he didn't? What was it about him that attracted her and made her not see the fact that_ he_ cared for her, too?

Not realizing how petulant and childish he sounded, he thought, _But she's _our _toy…why would she want to be with Mori when she could have _us_?_

Hikaru glanced once more at his brother and was slightly put out by the fact that Kaoru seemed perfectly happy with the situation so quickly.

How could he not care that their Haruhi had chosen someone else over the two of them?

Feeling very much alone, Hikaru rolled the orange in his hand along the edge of the table, suddenly not feeling very hungry, his appetite waning. However, he looked up as he heard a noise from the hallway…and felt his heart suddenly surge into his throat, his stomach roiling.

It was Haruhi and Mori…and they were holding hands.

He had taken seeing them together earlier without any problems, but now it bothered him.

They walked through the dining room into the kitchen, and Hikaru's ears picked up on every sound that came from the other room.

There were no words, but he heard plenty of other sounds. He heard the refrigerator door open, and then something being turned on…maybe a stove? And then he smelled some bacon and eggs as they were cooked and fried.

Even though the smells were wonderful, it suddenly made any appetite that he'd had completely vanish.

He suddenly felt sick to his stomach as he realized how domestic the two of them were, how comfortable they were with each other that they could cook together without saying a word.

Hikaru quickly stood up, shoving himself from the table, ignoring the fact that he knocked over his chair in the process, and stormed out of the room, heading back to the bedroom.

Kaoru started at the sudden movement from his brother and then watched with slightly hurt eyes as his twin disappeared down the hallway.

Haruhi poked her head out through the doorway at hearing the noise and looked at Kaoru with a confused look on her face. "What's wrong with Hikaru?" she asked the level-headed twin, and he merely dodged her eyes and said, "Stomachache. I'll go take care of him."

And with that, ignoring the confusion that still lingered in Haruhi's gaze, he stood, righted his brother's discarded chair, and then followed his own exit and headed to their bedroom.

He carefully opened the door, making sure not to make any sudden movements or noises.

Anything could set Hikaru off when he was like this.

However, Kaoru realized that the reason his brother was acting this way was because of jealousy.

It was nothing but pure jealousy. And that wasn't something that was easily dealt with or easily dissipated. He _had_ to find a way to make him see the truth…that Haruhi was happy, and that he needed to let her go, and see that he already had someone.

Him.

The lights were off in the room, but Kaoru could see the faint outline of his brother on their shared bed, lying spread-eagled on his back, staring absently at the ceiling.

"Hikaru?" he whispered, not wanting to make his brother any more upset.

There was a long moment of silence, but then his brother's voice softly answered, "Kaoru…how do you do it?"

Hikaru was confused and hesitantly asked, "What do you mean, Hikaru? How do I do what?"

He heard his brother sigh, and in the faint light he watched as he rolled over onto his stomach, his left arm tucked under his head and his right arm sprawled out next to him, grasping at Kaoru's pillow, his fingers holding almost too tightly to the fabric.

He heard Hikaru sigh. "I mean…how can you be so happy for her? I mean, yes, I'm happy for her but…she's _ours_. How can you stand to see her happy with…with _him_?"

Kaoru heard the emphasis on the last word, and knew that his brother was still coming to terms with it, and that it was so hard for him that he couldn't even say Mori's name. He watched as Hikaru withdrew his arm from the pillow and brought it to his chest, as though protecting himself from some invisible attack.

He let out his own sigh and walked across the floor over to the bed and sat on the end of it, absently running his fingers across the comforter, trying to figure out his next move.

Making a decision, he slowly lay down on the bed next to his brother and stared at the ceiling, trying to figure out how to word his answer in such a way that Kaoru would understand.

"Hikaru, I love Haruhi, too, in my own way, but…but I want her to be happy, no matter what…"

He paused and then continued.

"You see, Hikaru, the difference between the two of us is obvious in the way we care for Haruhi. I love her selflessly, and even though I'd prefer her happiness to be with me, if she finds it somewhere else _with_ someone else, I'm okay with that. But you…you love her selfishly. You want her for yourself and no one else. You don't _really_ want her for the two of us; you want her for you. And the fact that she can be happy with someone else makes you angry…"

He paused again, and now turned his head to look at his twin, wondering what he was thinking about what he'd just said.

There was a long silence between them, and it lingered in the air like a living entity.

Finally, Hikaru said…

"You're right."

The two words seemed to hang in the air for an eternity, and then Kaoru slowly smiled as he stared at the face that he knew so well.

"Hikaru…do we really _need_ anyone else right now? I mean, really? We have each other, which is all we've ever needed…why should that change now?"

Silence fell once more, but this time it was pleasant, and Kaoru could see a faint smile cross Hikaru's lips, and his heart swelled at the sight. _This_ was the brother that he knew: mischievous, yet sweet; selfish, yet forgiving.

"I guess you're still right, Kaoru…" He paused and reached out his right hand, gently brushing his thumb across his brother's cheek. "I've missed this…I've missed _us_."

Kaoru smiled.

"Yeah…me too."

* * *

**Part 17/?**

**A.N. - I felt that Hikaru would have been supportive, but still resentful and I thought that we needed to see this other side of him accepting the two of them together because of how selfish he usually is.**


	18. Chapter 18

**SPECIAL AUTHOR'S NOTE - I'VE HIT OVER 100 REVIEWS! Having written many, many stories, this is one of my most recent ones, but the first one that I've met that amazing number of 100, and exceeded it as well! I want to thank every single reader and reviewer out there for helping me along and wanting to tell you my beautiful story! This is a pairing that I truly love and I'm amazed by how many dedicated people there are out there who are dedicated to this beautiful couple! Thanks to all of you, there are so many I can't name you all, but you know who you are! I will continue to write, and, maybe if I'm lucky, I will hit that beautiful second magical number…200! (or even 300! …and when that happens, I can say "This…is…Ouran!") LOVE TO YOU ALL!**

* * *

**Chapter 18**

* * *

Haruhi brought her head back into the kitchen and paused for a moment, watching her lover make breakfast.

It was odd to think that only the day before he had simply been a boy that she'd kissed…but now he was so much more than that. He was her best friend, her confidante, her lover. She could only use that word, because, just as she had thought before, the word boyfriend was simply too juvenile for what the two of them had.

She walked over and joined him in the last few preparations and they walked out into the dining room, alone.

Haruhi stared down the hallway where Hikaru had disappeared and Kaoru had followed.

Briefly, she wondered why Hikaru had seemed so upset when she and Mori had walked into the dining room earlier, but she couldn't figure out a reason why.

She took a bit of her bacon, absently chewing, not really aware of the taste, her thoughts a million miles away.

Mori noticed the look on her face and carefully put down his fork and knife, reaching a hand towards her, no longer feeling any hesitation whenever he wanted to touch her. Having that freedom was liberating.

Haruhi looked up at him as she felt his hand touch her shoulder and saw the questioning look in his eyes.

She shrugged her shoulders in response. "Nothing," she said in response to the silent question, but his gaze hardened and she relented.

"I…I'm just wondering about Hikaru. You know, about why he left the room."

Mori looked at her in surprise, though he hid it, and realized that she really didn't know. She honestly couldn't see what was right in front of her. He let out an uncharacteristic sigh and pushed his plate to the side.

"Haruhi."

She looked up again when he said her name. "Yes, Takashi?"

He hesitated, but then pushed forward, knowing that she needed to know what was going on in order for them to transition smoothly back into the Host Club when they eventually got back to school and resumed normal Club activities.

However, he decided to ask her first, to make sure. "You do not know?"

Her expression became more confused at his question.

"Know what?"

He kept her gaze for a moment, but found that he could not look her in the eye as he told her the truth. He was slightly afraid of how she might react, but he knew, as he had thought before, that she needed to know.

"Hikaru…cares for you."

She tilted her head in that certain way of hers and said, "Well, of course he does. He's my friend."

Mori inwardly sighed in exasperation, but out loud he simply said,

"He loves you. Like I do."

At that, the hand that had started to bring her another bite of food froze, and he watched as her grip on her fork loosened and the scrambled eggs fell off and back onto her plate, covering part of her pieces of bacon that were still on her plate.

"He…he…"

Mori nodded.

At hearing this, she slowly brought her hand down, not even noticing the fact that there was no longer any food on her fork.

She sat there for a long, silent moment, folding her hands in her lap, alternating between staring at them and looking back down the hallway.

He could tell that she was trying to come to terms with what he'd just said, as well as probably rehashing over every encounter that she'd had with him in recent months, wondering how she'd not seen it, how she'd not noticed.

He knew she was going to blame herself, so he quickly reached out once more, catching her attention with his hand over top both of hers.

"Haruhi...it's not your fault."

At hearing his reassuring words, she slowly lifted her eyes to his and a faint, hopeful smile crossed the corner of her mouth.

"Really, Takashi?"

He nodded. "Hn."

There was another long moment of silence, but this time it was comfortable, their eyes effortlessly holding each other, both of them finding strength in the others' loving gaze. She glanced back down at her hands and smiled slightly to see that his one hand easily encompassed both of hers. She felt so small next to him…and yet, so strong and immovable.

After a few more seconds, she said, "Thank you."

He nodded, and slowly removed his hand and they went back to enjoying their breakfast.

Mere seconds had passed when their very own Honey came wandering in, his Usa-chan tucked in one hand and under his arm, his other hand sleepily rubbing his eyes. He wore pale blue silk pajamas, and had pink bunny slippers on.

Haruhi held in a giggle that threatened to escape at the sight of the senior boy wearing pink bunny slippers.

Honey paused before walking into the kitchen and turned towards them, his hand dropping from his eye, and he blinked, clearing his gaze.

He looked at the two of them and gave them a faint smile, one that took Haruhi off guard.

This was not a smile that she was used to. She was used to seeing his wide, off-kilter, Host Club grin, the one that lit up the room with its' childish glow and radiance…but this smile was completely different. It was serene, it was calm, it was…adult.

Even though he wore bunny slippers and carried a bunny in his arms, she could see the eighteen year old young man beneath it all simply because of the smile he gave the two of them.

After a long moment, he finally spoke.

"Good morning, Takashi, Haruhi…" He paused and then finished with a whispered, "Congratulations."

He then disappeared into the kitchen and after a few moments came out with a tray stacked high with two cakes and a huge bowl of fruit next to it. Ignoring the two of them, he walked out of the dining room and back down the hallway, heading back to his room.

Mori watched as his cousin and confidante walked back to their room and he smiled.

He was happy that Mitsukuni had accepted him and Haruhi. That was the only person he had truly worried about.

Everyone else, he could deal with, he could deal with, could fight off if he had to, but he had no desire to hurt his devoted cousin.

He could admit to himself, but to no one else, that he was afraid that if he had been forced to choose between Mitsukuni and Haruhi, he wouldn't have been able to choose. He was devoted to the small young man and would give his life to protect him…but at the same time, he would do the same for Haruhi.

However, there was a distinct difference between his reasons for doing so.

Mori was well aware of the fact that his young master could take care of himself, he didn't feel that he should have to. He shouldn't need to.

With Mitsukuni, it was a sense of loyalty and duty first, with some love of course, but the main focus was loyalty.

With Haruhi, however, he _wanted_ to protect her…he didn't _need_ to.

He knew that with some training, she could be a force to be reckoned with. She had a sharp mind and he was sure that she could apply her mental skills to her body. He knew that he was going to teach her to do so…but even then, he would still want to protect her.

And that wanting came first and foremost from his love for her. It all came from love.

It was a strange to realize that he was capable of such emotion, since he had been used to locking it away, but now that he knew that he loved her, he could no more deny it than he could deny the sun from rising in the east every morning.

He looked back to the girl that he somehow knew would be his whole world for the rest of his life and he smiled.

She was picking at her eggs, moving them off of her bacon, and then took a small bite.

She was adorable…but then she took a deep drink of her juice and he felt himself react as he saw her swallow the cold liquid.

He turned his eyes away and focused on his own breakfast, slightly uncomfortable with how he'd reacted to her, but at the same time glad that he was aware of the effect that this young girl…woman…had on him.

They finished their breakfast in comfortable silence and then took the dishes to the kitchen together, where they washed them in still more silence.

The two of them crossed the dining room together and then paused in the hallway as they stopped in front of Mori's door.

"So…" said Haruhi, taking the initiative. "Do you want to go down to the beach later, after lunch? Maybe for a walk?"

He nodded, a faint smile in the corner of his mouth.

"Hn."

With that, she quickly got as high as she could, on the tips of her toes, and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. She started to pull back, but his left hand shot out and slid into her hair while his right arm slid around her waist and gently lifted her.

He deepened the kiss slightly and she smiled against his lips.

He slowly let her back down to her feet, his fingers lingering on her face, and she smiled.

Neither of them said a word, but nothing more needed to be said.

Haruhi drifted down the hallway to her room and as she shut and locked the door behind her she smiled. She leaned against the door for a long moment and then walked over to her suitcase, where she still hadn't pulled out all her clothes.

On an impulse, she pulled out the shirt that she'd stolen from him and laid down on the bed, laying the shirt over her and bringing the fabric to her nose, inhaling deeply.

She sighed and stared at the ceiling.

_Can you see this is heaven, Mom?_ she silently thought in her mind. _I've found someone, just like you did. I think you'd like him, a lot._

Even though she received no answer, she felt a faint warmth in her heart, as though her mom was smiling as well, and she smiled.

Everything was really just beginning.

* * *

**Part 18/?**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

* * *

They had been back at school for nearly two weeks, and Mori had immediately started her on basic training…which was reading.

Haruhi didn't mind, though. Actually, the reading was rather enjoyable and she was gaining more of an insight to Mori's mind and how he saw the world around him by reading about the one thing that he was passionate about.

Everything that she'd read about kendo and the martial arts stressed the importance of clarity of thought, trusting one's instinct, and being aware of the world around her. It explained to her why Mori was so quiet all of the time, but also why he acted so quickly and so deliberately, without hesitation. He was truly aware of what was going on around him, which was why his eyes always seemed to intent on whatever he was looking at…including her.

Brushing that thought aside, she turned her attention back to the book, but was then distracted as Hikaru and Kaoru walked into the room.

"Hey, Haruhi," said Hikaru. "What are you reading?"

She said nothing, merely lifting the book slightly, and Kaoru grinned as he read the cover.

"History of Kendo…Mori senpai's assigned you reading, huh? What about practice?"

She realized that as long as the two of them were in the room, she wouldn't get any reading done, so she gave herself over to the questions and began to answer them, though all she wanted to do was find a quiet corner and read.

"Takashi wants me understand all of the history and theory behind each thing I'm going to learn _before_ doing any actual fighting."

At this, the twins raised their eyebrows in unison, their postures mirroring each other.

Gesturing with their hands towards her at the same time, they said, "All reading and no play makes Haruhi a dull girl…" And then Hikaru added, "And Mori-senpai a dull teacher."

Haruhi rolled her eyes at their words, knowing that to them anything that required them to stay still for more than a minute at a time, unless it was for modeling, was considered boring or dull, so she didn't hold much by their opinion, but could do nothing about it as they suddenly grabbed her arms and dragged her out of the library.

She didn't even bother to protest, knowing that it would fall on deaf ears.

"You need to relax, Haruhi…" said Kaoru, and Hikaru finished by saying, "…by watching others knock each other down."

She then realized that they had taken her to the school's dojo, a place that she'd only been to once, for a required gym class on the first day before she'd gotten herself out of taking the class. She heard voices inside, so she dutifully let herself be lead inside…

…and was surprised to see Mori in what she could only describe as a kendo competition.

She'd never actually watched him compete before, and she was surprised that he hadn't asked her to come and watch him compete.

She was also a visual learner and she knew that she could gain even more knowledge by watching the actual kendo fighting form in front of her.

Using her time wisely, and following the twins lead to stay out of sight, Haruhi carefully watched as her significant other took on opponent after opponent, his movements fluid and even, as though an invisible hand were guiding every move that he made.

She knew that kendo was an art, but seeing him doing it made it seem more like a dance that he knew all the steps to…it was stunning.

He was…beautiful.

After a few minutes, Hikaru and Kaoru slowly became aware of the fact that Haruhi was no longer sitting with them. In fact, she wasn't in the dojo.

Kaoru, worried, wandered outside and saw her sitting on a bench nearby, and walked to her, wondering what was wrong. He recognized that look. That was her thinking look, and she only ever thought that deeply when something bothered her.

"Haruhi?"

She didn't lift her head, but, in a voice so quiet he had to strain to hear it, she said, "He's so different from me, isn't he, Kaoru?"

Confused by her question, but determined to find out what she was thinking, he replied with, "Well…yeah, he is, Haruhi. But what does that have to do with anything?"

She let out a long sigh.

"It's just that…he's so thoughtful, so quiet, so collected…so graceful. What could he ever see in me? I'm abrasive, sometimes loud, and I'm about as uncoordinated as a person can be! I just…I just can't see how he could ever see anything in me."

Kaoru gave her a soft smile, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"He loves you, Haruhi. Trust me."

She gave him a concerned look, obviously still unsure. Seeing her doubt, he gently squeezed her shoulder and gave her an even wider smile, dropping his hand.

"Haruhi," he explained. "After everything that's happened, how can you doubt that he loves you?" He tilted his head slightly, letting his lips quirk slightly, making his smile crooked, and she suddenly felt reassured by his words.

Kaoru was right. Mori loved her…just as much as she loved him.

She determinedly stood up, looking back towards the dojo, a faint smile crossing her lips and Kaoru watched as a firm look came into her eyes, and he felt a faint warmth in his chest at her look. She was choosing her path, and he was silently proud of her for doing so. She was choosing Mori-senpai, and he couldn't think of a better choice for her.

Slowly, he stood up as well and gently tapped her shoulder with a finger, catching her attention.

"Hm?" she said, turning her head towards him and he smiled at how similar to Mori she sounded.

"Haruhi," he said, smiling slightly, "make him happy."

She simply nodded and returned his smile, and then looked back towards the dojo, the determined look in her eyes softened slightly, to one of affection and surety. _Yes,_ Kaoru thought to himself. _She_ will _make him happy. They will be happy._

With that silent reassurance, he walked back to the dojo, leaving her standing there behind him.

* * *

**Part 19/?**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

* * *

"Ugh!"

Haruhi grunted as she took the blow from Mori's staff. She was finally in training and it was taking its' physical toll on her, but she was enjoying it because of the time that she was spending with her significant other.

Feeling slightly frustrated, she swung out with her own staff, striking towards his side and let a small smile sneak onto her lips as she heard him make a small noise of surprise when she landed her blow.

Quickly, while she knew that she still had the advantage, she swung out one more time with her staff and grunted again as she felt the impact of their staves connecting…

…but she smiled as she saw him take a step back to keep from losing his balance.

Haruhi had quickly learned early on, that being shorter than her opponent was not a disadvantage, but, rather, an advantage; one that she could use shamelessly, in fact, and so she exploited it every single chance that she could.

They had finished with learning the theory and history nearly a month ago and had been doing physical training for the past four weeks. During that time, she had taken her extra time away from homework to learn not only kendo, but some karate and judo, as well. In fact, Mori had encouraged it, and had invited Honey to help her out in her training.

Suddenly, she found herself on her back on the tatami mats and she looked up to see her lover with a hidden smirk at the corner of his lips.

Anyone else might not have noticed at all, seeing only his usual stoic demeanor, but she could read him too well and saw the amusement he was trying to hide at the fact that he'd just gotten the better of her.

_Damn it,_ she thought to herself. _I wasn't paying attention._

He reached down a hand and helped her up with a single motion of his arm, and gave her a serious look.

"You weren't-"

She cut him off. "Paying attention, I know. Sorry, senpai." She gave him a smile of true contrition and, after taking a careful look around to make sure no one was watching, he returned her smile with one of his own, but then quickly went back into teaching mode.

Walking up behind her, he placed his right foot to the inside of her own right foot and placed his left hand on her left shoulder.

"You need to widen here," he said, tapping the tips of his toes against her bare insole, "And here," he clarified, pulling her left shoulder back slightly with his hand.

Haruhi could immediately feel the difference and was silently amazed at how quickly he was to correct her after tripping her up.

She inwardly smiled, and couldn't help but think about what the past few weeks had brought the two of them. They had gone on a few actual dates, with him picking her up and taking her out for a meal, but most of the time they had simply gone on walks and just enjoyed the other person's company. It was rather nice actually, just spending time together. And even though her stride was much shorter than his, he never complained at shortening his stride to match her own, and she never complained at having to be the one to do most of the talking.

It was surprising how much of a gentleman he'd been since the first time that they'd kissed, however.

Ever since the night that she'd fallen asleep in his arms while on vacation with the host club, he'd been nothing but a gentleman and always waited for her nod of assent before kissing her.

She knew, however, that he was holding back and she wanted to see if she could break him of his infamous self-control. However, she was under the distinct impression that it would be much harder than she wanted it to be. But she never backed down from a challenge.

Quickly, Haruhi brought her mind back to the lesson, and though she felt slightly bereft at the loss of him next to her, she made a conscious effort to be more aware of her stance as they circled each other once more.

In a sudden movement, he swung out, trying to catch her behind her legs, but she somehow maintained her balance and got in a lucky blow to his chest, pushing him back about a foot.

She could see the approval in his eyes and watched as his grip tightened slightly on his staff and she knew that he wasn't going to hold back on his next blow.

She was right.

In a lightning fast movement, his staff flashed towards her, a blur of motion, and, acting quickly, she managed to catch the blow that was meant for her side on her own staff, but had to take a step back to keep from falling over at the impact of the two staves meeting.

Thinking quickly, she pressed further with her weapon and pushed his staff towards the ground, forcing him slightly off-balance, and then quickly let up and swung it behind his legs, successfully tripping him up for the first time ever. She stood over him, panting, still not quite believing that she'd actually gotten the better of him. Was it a fluke? Or had he _let_ her win this one? Curious, she looked down at him where he lay prone on the floor, and then saw the look of surprise on his face.

To anyone else, it was just like any other look, but she saw the faint widening of his eyes and his lips parting slightly. It was loud and clear to her that she'd actually done it.

Slowly, Mori sat up and gave her a long look, and then he simply nodded.

"Good," was all he said, but it was as though he'd just told her that she was amazing and that he was proud of her all at once.

Without thinking, she jumped him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, hugging him as hard as she could.

She felt his whole body tense beneath her for a moment, and then, after a few long moments, he gently returned the hug. Haruhi relished the moment, enjoying the feel of his long, warm arms wrapped around her…but the moment was broken by a giggle from the doorway of the room and she pulled away from the hug to see Honey standing in the door to the dojo, a wide grin on his lips.

She flushed a deep red and quickly stood up. Mori took his time, but soon was standing as well, and gave his older cousin a look.

"Mitsukuni…how long?"

Haruhi knew what he was asking, and was surprised when Honey replied with, "The last few minutes. You did good, Haru-chan!" With that statement, he rushed her and hugged her legs, his Usa-chan firmly grasped in his other hand.

It was a rather amusing sight, considering that he was in his karate clothes.

"Thanks, Honey-senpai," she said, ruffling his hair slightly.

She saw Honey's slight frown, but ignored it. He'd been trying for the last few weeks to get her to call him by his given name, but she couldn't bring herself to do it, still thinking of him as her senior. With Mori it was different and it was easy to call him Takashi, but she still only called him that when it was just the two of them, because she thought it was disrespectful to call him by his given name in front of people who were his juniors.

She told him it was her way of showing him her respect for him in the presence of other people's company and he understood and took no offense to it.

Feeling a bit tired, she pulled from the hug and gave both Mitsukuni and Takashi a look.

"I'm going to change, alright?"

They nodded, and she went back to the locker room to change. Quickly, so as not to keep them waiting, she pulled off her practice uniform and pulled on some plain, dark green trousers and a black and white baseball tee, one that was loose enough to still disguise her if anyone from school should see her on campus.

She moved to leave the bathroom, and then saw her reflection in the mirror…and she smiled at what she saw.

Instead of an insecure girl who was simply focused on her schoolwork, she saw a young woman who wanted a life…and had a boyfriend.

She walked back out, her school bag slung over her shoulder and saw that the both of them had changed as well.

Takashi was looking very nice in black jeans and a long-sleeved fitted dark blue shirt. His own bag was over one shoulder, and his hair was damp, as though he'd also taken a quick shower. She looked at Mitsukuni and grinned, as he was wearing jeans and a bright yellow t-shirt that said, "SMILE! I HAVE CAKE!" along with a picture of a piece of cake with a candle on it.

She jogged over to them and blushed as Takashi leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"Let's go!" said Honey, and Haruhi suddenly found herself being dragged out of the dojo by a small, but very strong, eighteen year old karate master.

Takashi followed behind, neither of the other two noticing the soft look that cross his face.

For once in his life, he had something that he truly wanted…someone that was his, and _only_ his. Something that he didn't share with Mitsukuni. Someone that he loved…

…and he was happy.

* * *

**Part 20/?**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

* * *

Haruhi carefully went through her Calculus notes, making sure that she understood the concept correctly. Absently, she looked up at the clock on the wall, making note that her dad was going to be home in about ten minutes.

Quickly, she put her Calculus to the side and flipped open her History book, checking some extra notes that she'd taken in class that day for clarification.

So focused was she on her work, that she didn't even hear the sound of the front door opening and closing.

She wasn't even aware that her father was home until she heard,

"Haruhi! I'm ho-ome!"

Looking back up at the clock, she was shocked to see that fifteen minutes had passed; her father was five minutes late, and she hadn't even started dinner.

"Hi, Dad!" she yelled, as she closed her books and quickly got up and headed to the kitchen.

"So, what do you want for dinner, dad?" Haruhi asked as she bustled around their small kitchen and made some tea for the two of them.

Her father shrugged as he took off his earrings and let down his hair.

"Oh, I don't know. Whatever's easiest, Haruhi…father's had a long day today."

She could hear the exhaustion in his voice and she felt herself start to worry. She always worried about her dad, but recently he'd seemed to be even more stressed than usual, and she felt slightly guilty for not doing as much as she could.

Now that she had a boyfriend, she was a bit more, um, preoccupied, and she couldn't help but feel responsible.

She pulled out some soba noodles and put them into a pot of water on the stove. It would only take a few minutes and it didn't require too much concentration.

In the back of her mind, she was worried about him, but she was also worried about the fact that she hadn't _told_ him that she now had a boyfriend. He simply thought that she was occupied with her new kendo, judo, and karate lessons, and was spending more time with her friends, which she was…but it wasn't the entire truth.

She'd been wondering now for the past few weeks how to tell him, but could think of no way to do it without making him worry over his little girl.

Mori was older than her and she wasn't sure how her father would take it.

Haruhi took her time pulling out the bowls and chopsticks for the two of them, as well as the soy sauce.

The entire time, however, her mind was still focused on what to tell her dad. Should she tell him everything? Or should she just tell him some of it? Or was it possible that he already knew, as she knew that he and Kyoya were in contact with each other at one point?

After mulling it over for some time, she decided not to say anything and finished making dinner and placing it on the table.

They ate in silence…until her father asked, "Haruhi, are you okay?"

Her fingers faltered on the cup that she was holding and she quickly placed it back on the table, trying to hide the sign of her nervousness.

"Yeah, Dad, I'm fine. Why?"

He shrugged, taking an absent sip of the tea in front of him, absentmindedly tapping a finger on the side of the cup. He then let out a long sigh and then put the cup onto the table and turned to her, his eyes sharp and clear, almost as though he were looking straight through her.

"You've been busier than usual for the past few weeks, Haruhi; ever since you and your Host Club went on your little trip to the beach."

She said nothing at first, racking her brain for a response, and came up with a partial truth and said,

"Well, yeah…our last exams are coming up and I've been studying more, spending more time at school. You know, with my kendo, judo, and karate…"

He gave her a scrutinizing look, but then dropped it, and she let out a premature sigh of relief.

Glibly, he then said, "Oh, that's all. Good, then. I'm glad you're focusing more on your studies and activities. I was worried that Mori-senpai was taking up too much of your time these days, what with the two of you dating and all for the past three weeks."

She nearly spat out her tea, held it in and then began to choke.

After a second, she recovered and managed to say in a strangled voice, "How'd you know about that?"

Her father gave her a sly smile and flipped his hair over his shoulder, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Oh, a little bird told me that you two were involved quite a while ago, but I was waiting for you to tell me yourself before I made sure that he and I were properly introduced."

Yeah, a little bird sure told him alright. She had half a mind to strangle Kyoya in his sleep for doing this to her, but she realized that it wouldn't do a bit of good.

What was done, was done, and nothing could change that.

But then her father said…

"So, when is he coming over for dinner?"

Panic suddenly arose in her mind, and her heart felt as though it might try to leap from her chest. No, no, no, no….that idea was a recipe for disaster! She enjoyed spending time with Mori, but spending time with him and her father at the same time? Bad, _bad_ idea.

Her teacup shook in her hand and she carefully put it on the table in front of her, not trusting herself to not drop it.

"Uh…why, why would he come for dinner?" Haruhi asked nonchalantly, trying vainly to pretend that she didn't know what her dad was talking about.

Her father gave her a stern look; well, as stern of a look that he could give with his eyeliner and eye shadow still on.

"Don't try and pretend, Haruhi. He's coming over and that's final." He took a sip of his tea and continued to glare at her over the rim of his cup. "I _will_ meet the young man who is courting my daughter, and make sure that he is taking care of my Haruhi correctly."

She heard the tone in her father's voice and realized she had lost, and then he said…

"Besides, I already spoke to Mori's parents. He's coming over tomorrow night. Kyoya helped me arrange it all…"

She groaned and then muttered to herself, "I give up."

* * *

**Part 21/?**


End file.
